Tool handle fastener



March 29,1949. w. J. ROBERTS [2,465,483

TGOL HANDLE FASTENER\ Fiied Jan. 15, 1946 WESLEY J. .ROBERTS,

Patented Mar. 29, 1949 UNITED STAS FHCE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a method of and means for securing a wooden shaft in a socket and more specifically to securing a wooden handle in the socket of a tool head. The invention may be applied to tools of various character, such as hammers, mallets, sledges, hatches, axes and the like, which comprise socketed heads secured to the end of a wooden shaft, the shaft serving as a handle.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device of the above character which may be utilized to secure the handle to the tool head firmly and permanently, and which permits of quick tightening should the handle become loose in the socket by reason of shrinkage of the wood.

The above and still further objects of the invention will be understood upon study of the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference denominate the same parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational View of a hammer employing the invention;

Figure 2 is an end View of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of a wedge forming part r of the invention; and

Figure 4 illustrates half of an expanding bushing utilized as part of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail,

numeral l represents a hammer head, having a and has an inner groove 53' having the same 1::

radius of curvature as the conical wedging pin 9, and tapering to fit the said wedging pin snugly at all times. Formed integrally with and comprising the head of each bushing half 8 is a plurality of smaller radially outwardly-directed supplementary wedges I 0, extending from the main body of the bushing and coming to points II.

The wedging pin 9 tapers gradually, and comprises a circular head or cap 52 of larger diameter than that of the tapered portion and at its extremity opposite to the head l2 forms a sharp point [4, adapted to enter the wood of the handle 3 within the socket l. The wedge halves are formed with recesses 13 adapted to accommodate the head 12 of the wedge pin 9.

The socket 1 and the bushing halves 8 are of such relative lengths that when the heads of the bushing halves are flush with the end of the handle 3, a small space I5 remains in the socket 1 within which the wedge pin 9 may be accommodated should it be necessary, during the life of the tool and due to drying and contraction of the wood forming the handle 3, to increasingly force wedge pin 9 forwardly into the handle.

From the above description it should be obvious that the presently described embodiment of the invention provides a simple and inexpensive device capable, by means of a simple operation, of securing a handle to a tool head. The small auxiliary wedges l0 present a novel feature which catch the Wood of the handle and assist in spreading the end of the handle, as well as to prevent rotation of the wedge halves 8 with respect to the handle 3.

Although I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that modifications may be made in the arrangement of the parts and the details of the structure without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A fastener for securing tool handles in the heads thereof and wherein said handle is formed with a cylindrical end socket, comprising a pair of semi-cylindrical bushings adapted to be freely received in said socket, a substantially conical wedging pin, said bushings being formed with opposed inner grooves substantially complementary to said pin, said grooves and pin being formed with smooth abutting surfaces to adapt said pin to be driven between said bushings,

, whereby to wedgingly spread said bushings radially in opposite directions into firm engagement with the walls of said socket, and said bushings each being formed with a plurality of radially outwardly-directed supplementary wedges terminating in sharp points adapted to wedgingly seat in said handle upon spreading of said bushings.

WESLEY J. ROBERTS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 684,663 Anawalt Oct. 15, 1901 702,190 Ewing June 10, 1902 1,399,172 Vaughan Dec. 6, 1921 1,497,711 Cox June 17, 1924 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 91,379 Switzerland Nov. 1, 1921 100,003 Switzerland July 2, 1923 

